Even as the countdown for Rio Olympics has begun, surfers from India, especially Karnataka, are super excited that skateboarding and surfing are among five new sports confirmed for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. It was only this year that the state government extended support, and the first surfing festival of Karnataka, was held at the Sasithithlu Beach, near Mulky, in May.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Rammohan Paranjape vice president, Surfing Federation of India based in Mulky, said, “We are extremely happy that surfing is now part of Olympics. The dream is to have someone win medals for India. We are looking forward to what the International Surfing Association (ISA) will come up with. The inclusion of the surfing into Olympics will be followed by a lot of procedure and process. From now, ISA will start working on a structure. So far, the battle was about including surfing as a sport, the next challenge is how to go about ensuring the sport gets maximum representation. There are about 100 countries, including India, that want to send a team. The qualifiers will be crucial,” he said.

However, for the federation, the challenge is to identify and nurture talents and start training them. Affiliation to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will also have to take place. “But the big challenge is to get sponsorship. If athletes have to reach Olympics, then participation in international meets is crucial. We have to give them lot of exposure and training. Surfing has been a competitive sport. It has the World Surf League held in the best surf locations. The only thing we did not have is recognition in Olympics because this sport requires an ocean, and not all countries that organise Olympics have an ocean or a surf break. Surfing is more popular than some of the Olympic sports. Now there is the technology to have an artificial wave pool that would run into acres,” he said.

Paranjape believes that the federation is moving in the right direction. “If we cannot make it to 2020, we would certainly be there in 2024. Surfing is a new sport in India. For Australia or US, surfing has been there for over 50 years. They will immediately jump into Olympics. The sport in India is just 10-12 years old. Australia can send their team tomorrow. For many new Asian countries, it is quite a challenge. We are concerned about sponsorship. Every year, we get an invite to participate in international surfing event. We can’t send a team because we do not have a sponsor and required support to go to places like Brazil. Pooling of resources is going to be a big challenge. It has to start from now. Identifying the talent, coaching them, sending them abroad or getting a full-time coach has to happen. There are countries that have a full-time national coaches and performance directors,” he said.

Partha Varanashi, secretary, Stoked Surfers’ Club, Mangaluru, called Olympics, a celebration of the sport worldwide. “It is about nations coming together. It is a huge boost for the sport and now it is up to the Surfing Federation of India to make it a success. The sport is now going to get official recognition rather than just a few enthusiasts following it. There would be more government funding, more opportunity for sportspersons. It is an immense bonus for the sport. We can only see the sport develop from here. For India, it’s a long way ahead,” he said.